So Reid Craft and myself decided, "Let's do a cover of Clocks."
So we did.
Stuff we used:
Software:
FL Studio 10.0.9
iZotope Ozone 4
NI Guitar Rig 4 (tape echo; chorused reverb; Memory Man; Tube Screamer; Proco RAT, Ampeg amp, compression, noise reduction, cab/mic modeling for bass)
IL Sytrus
NI Mikro Prism
NI Absynth 4
Garritan Personal Orchestra (grand piano)
Toontrack Superior Drummer 2
Waves Tape, Tubes, and Transistors pack v9 (demo, keys and synth only)
Celemony Melodyne
Hardware:
PreSonus AudioBox 1818VSL
Ibanez RG321MH with stock Infinity p'ups and Ernie Ball Regular Slinky strings (.10-.46)
Zoom G9.2tt with Groove Tubes GT-12AX7-C and GT-12AX7-R2 preamps
1993 Peavey Classic 50 2x12 with Electro-Harmonix 12AX7s and Sovtek EL84s (piece of crap power tubes)
Martin OMC160GTE Grand Auditorium with Elixir NanoWeb coated strings (.11-.52)
Shure Beta 57A dynamic microphone
Methods:
Amp miking was pretty simple, but effective given the results. DIs were tracked, then re-amped using the Beta 57A about 5" back from the combo, 1.5" left of center, and 2" down from center pointing towards vertical center. Little EQ was applied, save the boost at 2.9 kHz for presence in the mix.
Acoustic recording was a pretty standard method, using both the piezoelectric pickup under the bridge and the Beta 57 pointed at the highest frets on the fretboard. The two signals were then compressed with both digital and tube-emulated compressors and lightly EQ'd with a fixed phaser. I made sure to set a late attack on the compressors so the attack of the strums would really shine through.
Vocal miking was the usual: the same Shure mic on a large boom stand with a pop screen attached to it. We stood it so that the slapback on the wall behind the vocalist would be absorbed by a mattress.
- Reid and Ben